Container or box for thermionic valves, incandescent electric lamps, and the like



May -11 1926. 1,584,084

' n W. ELLIOTT CONTAINER OR BOX FOR THERMIONIC VALVES,

INCANDE'SCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS, AND THE. LIKE Filed May 23 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 1 May '11 1926.

W. ELLIOTT CONTAINER OR BOX FOR 'lI-IERlVlI- ONIC VALVES,

INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS, AND THE LIKE Filed May 2 1925 2Sheefcs-Sheet 2 Patented lVlay ll, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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serum 015 Box 203 'rnnamomo VALVE8, mcannnscnnr nnac'raro LAMPS,

- .uwnrnnmxn- 2 Q I Application fled lay 2a, 1925. Serial No. 3237s.

. This invention relates to containers or the like for acking thermionicvalves, incandesoent el ctri lamps, or similar electricall energizedarticles such as vacuum 5 tubes or emitting Rontgen rays. 3

Valves, lamps or the like of thetype above referred to are usuallypacked. in carton boxes from which it is usual for a salesman Suchremoval of valves, lamps'or t e like 16 from their-containers entailstime. and even liability to accidental breakage. Apart from this, it isan advantage if the 7 packages or containers, in which the valves or thelike aresold, can be sealed by-the, mak- 80 ers in order toguard-against possibility of a part1 used'or exhausted valve beinsubstitute for, and passed ofi to a pure aser as, a new one.- v v Theobject of this invention is, therefore,

25 to provide improved means ,whereby'a valve;

lamp or the like-can be quickly tested without any necessity forbreaking theseal of the container, thereby enablin a salesman todemonstrate the condition 0%.. the valve or so the like to apurchaser-and at the same time enabling the purchaser; to be sure thatno substitution has taken place.

The object of the invention is attained b roviding contacts externallyof, or accessi- 15 1e from, the exterior of the container, and byproviding means whereby such contacts are connected with the filamentterminals of the valve or the like when the latter is positioned withinthe container. By bring- .0 ing the contact pieces referred to intocontact with the terminals of a suitable source of electric supply,a-circuit is set up including the filament of the valve-orthe like, and

indication asto whether orno't the filament 5 is-intact: and thusclosing the 'circuit, ,ca n

be given either by providing an inspection window in the .wallof thecontainerior by;

including a suitable lamp bulb in the circuit externally of thecontainer.

0 In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a box or con- -through which the filamenttermina ta-iner embodyingthe improvements, show-' in .a thermionic valvetherein.

shown in Fig. 1.

boxes or containers illustrating modifications. A

Referring firstly to the arrangement shown in, igs. 1 and 2, a and I)represent respectively a container, and a removable lid -or covertherefor, of cardboard'or the like,

a a support for the end of the bulb, and d a support forthe neck end ofthe valve, the support at having perforations or o nings e a and thehigh tension terminals f, f may g. 2 is a side elevation of the devicepass, to retain thereby the valve in the desired position and in thecontainer.

At that end of the container, adjacent the terminals of the valve or thelike, there are provided two metal contact pieces 9, g. which are sodisposed and shapedthat when the valve or the like, and its'supports cand d, are inserted into the container the filaprevent it from rotatingment' terminals'e, e will make contact with said contact ieces.

and similar coincident openings in the lid or cover, expose portions ofthe contact pieces 9 .g' and enable the terminals of the testing circuitto be applied,.and placed in circuit with the filament terminals,without it. being necessary to break'fany seal by which the lid or covermay be secured. The

contact ieces may be held-in position, as

shown, y being clipped between the end folds of the container. Thecontainer may "have an inspection. opening, preferably closed by a'transparent plate, opposite the filament, and the lid or cover have anopening 11 coincident'therewith, so as to enable it to be ascertainedwhether or not the filament is caused. to glow' properly 1 when' theOpenings h in the end of the container testing contacts are-applied.Alternatively,

as before mentioned, the indication may be obtained by includingaseparate suitable lam-p bulb in the testing circuit.

In; the case of acollapsible container or ill carton in which the valve,instead of being held impositlon by end supports as in Figs.

- 1 reeaoee 1 and 2, is sim ly wrapped around with some suitable so tprotective material, the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 may be employed. Inthis case, the end flap of the container or carton is provided withcontacts tacts j, j in the-form of button heads of metal clinched to theflap. The filament terminals e e of the valve have connected to them,prior to insertion of the valve into the cartomshort lengths of wire isis, the

ends of which are brought to the outside, around the edges of thetuck-in flap a, and Wrapped about the respective contacts. The tuck-inflap a and the corresponding flap a at the other end of the carton beingduly sealed, removal of the lamp is impossible v. to the edge of thesupport m in exactly the but the connection of the contacts 7', y" tothe filament terminals by the connections la, la enable the filament tobe included in a testing circuit. It will be seen that in thisinstancethe wires 7c is simply replace the contact pieces 9, g of Figs.1 and 2. It will be ap arent that, with this method of pack-.

ing, t e indication of the continuity of the filament will be obtainedby means of a lamp bulb in the testing circuit, since the protectivewrapping of the lamp prevents a direct visual inspection of thefilament.

Another arrangement which may be employed with a collapsible carton orcontainer is shown in Figf i. In this instance a cup-shaped support Z isinserted in one end of the carton and provided with a central opening toreceive and Support the end of the bulb, and a similar cup sha edsupport. m is inserted i'n the other en of the carton, such support mhaving perforations in its base through Which'the filament terminals andhigh tension terminals may pass. Metal contact pieces 9 g to makeconnection with the filament terminals are clipped same way as to theedge of the container in Figs. 1 and 2, and openings n, n are formed inthe container wall opposite the bent over portions ofthese contactpieces so that a current can be pamed through the filament from anexternal circuit. Since the valve is supported within and clear of thewalls-o'f the container, an inspection window 0 may be provided toafford a direct visual inspection of the filament, or the window may bedispensed with and a separate lamp bulb be provided in the externalcircuit to give the indication of. the continuity or unbroken conditionof the filament.

The particular methods which; l have described and shown of providingthe contacts externally of or accessible from the exterior of acontainer and of connecting such contacts to 'or enabling them tocontact with I the filament terminals of the valve, are only given byway of illustration and I do not limit myself thereto, since other andequivalent alternatives will suggest themselves to those skilled in theart whereby the object of the invention may be attained.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1'. Acontainer for an article adapted to be electrically energized, saidcontainer being adapted to be sealed after receiving the articletherein, and contact members carried by said container adapted to haveelec-' trical connections with the conducting elements of said articleand accessible from the exterior of the container for convenientlyconnecting the article in an electrical circuit without opening thecontainer.

2. A containeinfor an article adapted to be electrically energized, saidcontainer being adapted' to be sealed after receivingthe article, andcontact members carried by said container having portions extendingwithin the container and adapted for electrical comi'ect-ion with theconducting elements of said article. and having portions exposed 'at theexterior of the container for conveniently connecting the article in anelectrical circuit without opening the container.

3. The combination of a container adapt- .ed to be sealed, an articlewithin the container having a conducting element to be electricallyenergized and terminal portions for said element, and contact memberscarried by the container independently of said article and connectedwith said. terminal portions, said members being accessible from theexterior of the container" for conveniently connecting the article in anelectrical cirwithin the container for holding an article adapted to beelectrically "energized in a definite position within the container, and

contact members carried by the container adapted to be electricallyconnected wit-h the conductingelements ofsaid article, and accessiblefrom the exterior of the container for conveniently, connecting" thearticle in an electrical circuit. without opening. the container. I

6. The combination of a thermionic valve, a container within which saidvalve is sealed, contact members carried by the container and accessiblefrom the exterior thereof, and connections between said contact i valve,for conveniently connecting members and the filament terminals of saidsaid filament in an electrlcal circuit wit out open ing the container.

7. he combination of a thermionic valve; a container Within which saidvalve is sealed, and contact unelnbersdetachably connected to thefilament terminals of said valveand extending to the exterior of thecontainer, for enabling said filament to be 10 connected in anelectrical circuit Without opening the container;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' WILFRED ELLIOTT.

